Dairiki Company (3-chome, Gojo-sagaru, Kawabata-dori, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto) has announced that, using a newly-developed pretreatment agent for inkjets (patent pending), it has developed ‘SD finishing system’ that eliminates the use of paper which was indispensable in transfer printing. SD finishing is a paperless printing method which realizes in polyester fabric the features of transfer printing (with the disadvantages eliminated). In this, disperse dye sublimation inks are used for the printing of fabric with inkjet machines, and to improve the effect of printing, the fabric is treated with a pretreatment agent (a joint-patent-pending pretreatment machine ‘Maeshorikun’ has been developed). The firm revealed that this method has already been implemented practically in various uses of printing.
Details of SD finishing
 |
 |
| SD color development machine |
Inside SD color development machine |
 |
| T. Kuwano, director of Dairiki Company, speaking of the SD finishing method |
According to Dairiki’s announcement, a method of producing prints without the use of paper, which was requisite in transfer printing, has been realized through the development of a pretreatment agent for inkjets (patent pending), out of concern for today’s much-discussed environmental issues. Regarding this, T. Kuwano, director of the firm, gave us his account. ‘Let me explain the advantages of our paperless disperse dye sublimation inkjet printing (SD finishing). We have been receiving an increasing number of enquiries from all over the country for this newly-developed chemical capable of pretreatment which obviates problems involved in the conventional method of transfer printing with regard to the amount of paper use and the disposal of used paper.’
‘The special feature of the SD finishing method is that a pretreatment agent is first padded or coated on the surface of the substrate, onto which, after drying, prepared (inkjet) printing motifs are then transferred as in the process of transfer printing under the heat conditions that allow dye sublimation.’
‘The method makes possible the continuous, pressure-free box, roller thermocompression or even a small electrothermal box. Dye absorption takes place under the conditions of 180°C - 210°C within 20-30 seconds.’
‘The pre-treatment agent plays a key role in the production of a comfortable soft hand in SD finishing. The softness of fabric hand is outstanding after printing and heat treatment, and with the fact that the need for rinsing can be dispensed with depending on the use of the end product, this pre-treatment agent can be regarded as significant in terms of environmental concerns for water use.’
T. Kuwano gave us the following key points concerning differences between the SD finishing method and the conventional transfer printing.
 |
 |
| Pretreated and inkjet-printed polyester fabric, the penetration of motifs to the reverse side of fabric is shown |
Inkjet-printed shades on pretreated SD-finish polyester fabric |
Comparison of SD finishing and transfer printing
▽ Conventional transfer printing
- Requires special transfer printing paper
- Produces a loss with the inventory of transfer paper because of differences in lot sizes
- Compression of transfer paper onto the substrate → heat application
- Thermocompression induces the absorption of (disperse) dye-based inks on the principle of thermosol through sublimation between 180°C and 210°C in 20-30 seconds
- Requires rinsing and soaping after printing
- Requires additional treatment before and after the use of transfer paper
- Only allows a limited number of printable colors and lots
- Deep shade reproduction is impossible because of limitation involved in the use of dyestuff in printing with transfer paper
▽ SD finishing
- Paperless is its special feature, substrates are treated with a pretreatment agent (Dairiki has developed a pretreatment machine ‘Maeshorikun’)
- Compatible with production of the required lots
- (Inkjet) printing with the use of dyestuff which is directly applied to substrates pretreated with a RSP-TR agent
- For dye absorption and fixation, the SD color development machine (the thermosol method) is used between 180°C and 210°Cfor 20-30 seconds
- Rinsing and soaping after printing
- Considerably softens the fabric hand with no rinsing required in some cases
- The biggest advantage is that it requires no transfer paper
Trouble-free paperless processing
Black shades can be obtained as the usual trouble concerning ink penetration and deep shade reproduction is eliminated due to the chemicals contained in the pretreatment agent
High-density, standard and sharp: through manipulation of inkjet dyestuff or through DPI operations
- Reduction in water use in cases requiring no rinsing = huge contribution to the environment
- Fixation facilities, electricity use, contribution to the environment
Combined use of SD-finish pretreatment machine possible with any inkjets
 |
 |
Pretreatment machine ‘Maeshorikun’ overview
|
| Pretreatment machine ‘Maeshorikun’ (from left, a thickener application unit, pressure roll unit and dryer/roll-up unit) |
(Click for enlargement) |
| Type |
Price |
| W - 155 |
¥4,800,000 |
| W - 200 |
¥7,200,000 |
| Option |
Price |
Automatic
thickener feeder |
¥280,000 |
Interim drying
machine |
¥1,600,000 |
|
| ‘Maeshorikun’ unit price |
Transfer printing of polyester fabric has a long history. Dairiki, having looked into ways of bringing out the quality of transfer printing without the use of paper and with additional advantages, has developed the paperless SD finishing method. Concerning the motive behind it, Kuwano stated, ‘It was because there had been many developments in inkjet printing machines.’
‘Up to now, consignment to a specialist was necessary for transfer paper. In cases of small-lot production, this consignment resulted in high costs, but by combining an inkjet printing machine and the SD finishing method, the production of shades superior to small-lot transfer printing has been made possible. That was where our motivation for developing the SD-finish pretreatment machine ‘Maeshorikun’ (SD color developing machine) came from.’
To our question, ‘Can your SD-finish pretreatment machine be used smoothly with any inkjet printing machines?’, Kuwano replied, ‘Yes. Practical implementation is increasing in combination with a few makes of inkjet printing machines. We are promoting among industry operators the use of our SD-finish pretreatment method for any prints produced using any inkjet printing machines.’
Dairiki is currently considering the acquisition of land in order to expand the scale of its Kameoka plant, Kyoto, aiming at expansion in the field of textile printing. |